Wednesday

A gamblers guide to betting on the Breeders' Cup

While
the Kentucky Derby is the horse racing's equivalent to the NFL's
Super Bowl, the Breeders' Cup is the sports'
Christmas
Day. There is something for everyone.

And
because of the variety of races and ample
field sizes, there is a great opportunity to really make some money
and have some fun enjoying horse
racing’s
premier two days.

This
year's Breeders’
Cup excitement
will kick off at historic and picturesque Santa Anita Park in
Arcadia, California on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2,
2013.

Thoroughbred
racing’s most prestigious global event will
consist
of 15 races with purses totaling more than $25 million, attracting
the best horses from around the world, along
with
the serious andcausal
gambler.

In
an effort
to help you make the most of this year's Breeders' Cup wagering,
we have put together
a simple strategyfor
grabbing a big return on your picks.

Spreading
the wealth

The
best way to make sure you enjoy both days of racing action, is to set
a budget for each day for what you plan to wager, placing
all your wagers in advance the morning of each day.

That
means that you will need to do your homework on all the jockeys,
trainers and horses at least a few days before the first day of
competition.
It's important to review past performances to
determine
whether a contenderand
or his pilot will
be a favorite or just a huge long
shot
come post time.

Our
best advice is to find a couple of horses you really like and center
your wagers around them. All you need is one long
shot
to come in and you’ll make some money and have bragging rights for
the next year.

But
there are other betting strategies for those who want
to put more time and effort into studying their picks.
And chosing which one of the countless wagering opportunities and
bets to be made, really all depends on how much money you're looking
to make — and
spend.

Some
gamblers are content just cashing tickets and don’t care if they
win $2 or $2,000. Others have no problem losing $100 to go after a
big score. With that in mind, we’ll throw out a few plays for both
types.

Types
of bets

For
those just looking to cash a few tickets and have a rooting interest
in all of
the
Breeders’ Cup races, making some ladder bets on one horse in each
race is sure way
to
provide some fun without
risking the farm.

A
ladder bet is a spread out win/place/show bet that allows you to
place
a wager without getting to serious, and still make some
sort of a
return.

An
example would be placing a $12 ladder bet on every race. The bet
would be $2 win, $4 place and $6 to show.

This
is approach is particularly effective with questionable jockey/horse
combinations and long shots, as they don’t win as much, but do come
in second or third more often. Spreading out your bets
using this method
can provide a pretty
decent
payoff if you're lucky, while keeping you in
the black a
lot longer.

However,
for those looking for the big payday, there
is
the exacta, trifecta or the superfecta.

Not
for the faint of heart, a superfecta
bet requires that you predict the correct order of finish for the top
four horses.

The
key to superfecta wagering is to cover as many outcomes as possible
without laying
down too much of your cash.

During
the 2006 Breeder's Cup there were three five-figure
$2 superfecta payoffs and one six-figure
payoff of over
$100,000.
That said,
superfectas are worth going after.

The
key to any bet is to have fun. So dood
luck and enjoy one
of horse racing's biggest events.